Putnam Service Dogs is hosting 3 free, informational lunches at area diners to recruit Puppy Raisers. They will be adopting 4 new puppies in October 2018 class from Rescue Organizations for their new class. They train our puppies in classes of 3 or 4 to teach them to function under high stress and distraction.

Volunteer Puppy Raisers are essential to Putnam Service Dogs providing free Service Dogs to people with physical disabilities other than blindness. Raisers are asked to love the puppies, socialize them, and train them in obedience and beginning service dog skills. Volunteer raisers are taught dogmanship skills, canine body language, and bonding closely with their puppy. Putnam Service Dogs’ top level trainers use only positive training methods - no corrections or punishments, creating confident dogs who trust people - essential characteristics of a service dog.

Raisers will receive a mixed breed puppy Putnam Service Dogs adopts from a Rescue Organization, probably about 10 weeks old. Pups will ultimately grow to be 45-65 lbs. They carefully select pups that are people oriented, friendly, confident, comfortable being handled, easy to train, not aggressive (at all!!). Raisers will be guided by a Puppy Raiser Manual, weekly classes the first 6 months they have the puppies, and Putnam Service Dogs’ Trainers. Private sessions with a trainer will supplement what they learn in the weekly classes.

The pups begin Formal Training, depending on their maturity level, between 16-18 months of age. They are taught by Putnam Service Dog(PSD) trainers then to perform the specific tasks their matched recipient needs them to do. Because PSD doesn’t have our Center yet, raisers are asked, if possible, to continue fostering the pups while they’re in the Formal Training period.

Pups will be about 2 years old when they are placed with their recipient. 75% of our applicants use a wheelchair.

Putnam Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit NY State corporation.

Their Mission Statement is: Our service dogs change the lives of our recipients and their families, adding love, joy, independence, and ease. We honor and promote the nurturing bond between humans and dogs.

For more information:

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, or 917-449-5359. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!